Boris Karloff

Boris Karloff (November 23, 1887 - February 2, 1969), born William Henry Pratt, was a famous actor in horror films. He was often billed as "Karloff the Uncanny".

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November 23 - 1887 - February 2 - 1969

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A son of Edward John Pratt Jr, the Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Salt and Opium, Northern Division, Indian Salt Revenue Service, and his third wife, Eliza Sarah Millard, the future actor was born in Camberwell, London, and brought up in Enfield. His maternal grandmother was Eliza Julia Edwards, a sister of Anna Leonowens, whose stories about life in the royal court of Siam (now Thailand) were the basis of the musical "The King and I". Through her, Karloff could claim distant East Indian ancestry, as it seems that Eliza Edwards and her sister, Anna, were the children of a mixed-race marriage. Karloff, however, often claimed Russian ancestry to explain his exotic looks, though his daughter Sara Karloff publicly denied any knowledge of Slavic forebears.

Related Topics:
Camberwell - London - Anna Leonowens - Siam - The King and I - East Indian - Russia - Sara Karloff - Slavic

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Orphaned in his youth, he was raised by his elder brothers and sister and attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Uppingham School in Rutland, and eventually the University of London. Karloff's first goal in life was to join the foreign service -- his brother, Sir John Henry Pratt, became a distinguished British diplomat -- but instead he fell into acting. In 1909, Pratt travelled to Canada, changing his name to something more in keeping with his new vocation while on his way to an acting job with the Jeanne Russell Theater Co. in Kamloops, British Columbia. He spent years testing the waters in North America while living in smaller towns like Kamloops and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. In 1912, while appearing in a play in Regina, Saskatchewan, Karloff volunteered to be a rescue worker following a devastating tornado. He also lived in Minot, North Dakota for a year, performing in an opera house above a hardware store. For health reasons, he did not fight in the First World War.

Related Topics:
Uppingham School - University of London - Canada - Kamloops, British Columbia - North America - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - 1912 - Regina, Saskatchewan - Tornado - Minot, North Dakota - Opera house - Hardware store - First World War

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Once he arrived in Hollywood, California, Karloff made many silent films, before appearing as the Monster in Frankenstein (1931), the film that made him a star. A year later, he played another iconic character, Imhotep, in The Mummy.

Related Topics:
Hollywood, California - Silent films - Monster - Frankenstein - 1931 - Imhotep - ''The Mummy''

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Karloff (who, in the wake of Frankenstein's success, was billed for a time only by his last name) was a very fine actor who played a wide variety of roles in other genres besides horror. He gave an excellent performance in the 1934 John Ford epic The Lost Patrol.

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In contrast to the characters he played on screen, Karloff was known in real life as a very kindly gentleman who gave generously especially to children's charities. Karloff was also a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, and was especially outspoken as regards working conditions on sets (some extremely hazardous) that actors were expected to deal with in the mid-1930s.

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An enthusiastic performer, he was able to return to the Broadway stage in the original production of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1941, in which he played a character enraged to be frequently mistaken for Karloff. Somewhat less successful was his work in the J. B. Priestley play The Linden Tree. He also appeared with Jean Arthur as Captain Hook in the play Peter Pan, and was nominated for a Tony Award for his work opposite Julie Harris in The Lark.

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Broadway - Arsenic and Old Lace - J. B. Priestley - The Linden Tree - Jean Arthur - Captain Hook - Peter Pan - Tony Award - Julie Harris - The Lark

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In later years, Karloff hosted and acted in a number of television series, most notably Thriller and The Veil, the latter of which was never broadcast and only came to light in the 1990s. In the 1960s, Karloff successfully spoofed his image in the 1963 cult classic film The Terror, directed by Roger Corman, and appeared as "retired horror film actor" Byron Orlok (a lightly-disguised version of himself) in Peter Bogdanovich's critically acclaimed 1968 film Targets which was one of his final film appearances.

Related Topics:
Thriller - The Veil - 1963 - Cult classic - The Terror - Roger Corman - Peter Bogdanovich - 1968 - Targets

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In the mid-1960s, he narrated the famous made-for-television animated feature How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Due to an error in the credits, it is sometimes erroneously stated that Karloff sang the famous song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", but this was, in fact, American voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft, who died at 91 in 2005 of prostate cancer.

Related Topics:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Thurl Ravenscroft

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After battling emphysema for a number of years, Boris Karloff died from its complications at his home in Midhurst, Sussex, England on February 2, 1969, at the age of 81. He was interred in the Mount Cemetery in Guildford, Surrey, England. However, even death could not put an immediate halt to Karloff's media career. Three films Karloff shot in Mexico just prior to his death were released over a two-year period after his passing, but were dismissed as undistinguished efforts by critics. Also, a few years prior to his death, he lent his name to a comic book for Gold Key Comics entitled Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery. An illustrated likeness of Karloff continued to introduce each issue of this publication for nearly a decade after the real Karloff died.

Related Topics:
Emphysema - Midhurst - Sussex - England - February 2 - 1969 - Guildford - Surrey - Mexico - Comic book - Gold Key Comics - Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery

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For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame at the following locations:

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1737 Vine Street (motion pictures}

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6664 Hollywood Blvd. (television}

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